Northport Lawyer Becomes First Woman President of the Alabama State Bar
When Alyce Manley Spruell became president of the Alabama State Bar in July, she said that promoting the need for increased civics education in Alabama's schools and communities would be one of her signature goals as president of the 16,000-member organization.
Encourage Civics Education
A committee of lawyers, judges and educators has been appointed to focus their efforts in the coming months to seek the addition of civics courses, projects and technology in the classroom as well as in community education programs.
"A recent survey found that more people could name the judges on 'American Idol' than they could name a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and this tells me we have a serious problem," said Spruell, who is a member of the Northport firm of Spruell & Powell, LLC.
She noted since the state bar is the official organization of lawyers in Alabama, it has a special role and responsibility to promote the duty of each citizen to understand and support the system of justice. "We have lost focus in our schools on the need to study the role of the courts in protecting our rights and freedoms. If we don't appreciate and protect the rule of law in our state, how can we effectively vote, select leaders and more importantly, honor and trust our court system?" she said.
Committee focus
This committee will focus on specific events in the coming year to highlight this emphasis, including Constitution Day in September, President's Day in February and Law Day in May.
A 1983 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law, her firm's practice is concentrated primarily in general civil litigation, employment and business representation. She also has an alternative dispute practice, serving as both a mediator and arbitrator in the same areas as her practice.
Long record of service to the bar and volunteerism
She has also served on the Board of Bar Commissioners for six years, representing Tuscaloosa County and on the initial committee that created the state bar Leadership Forum (created to identify and train outstanding lawyers to be servant leaders in Alabama) and chaired that committee the following year.
Spruell has served on the bar's Executive Committee for two terms, on a Disciplinary Panel for six years, and as Tuscaloosa County Bar Association president. She was an adjunct professor in Trial Advocacy at the University of Alabama School of Law for more than 10 years.
She maintains professional memberships in the American Bar Association, the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association, the Alabama Academy of Attorney Mediators and the Tuscaloosa County Bar Association.
She currently serves as a member of the Alabama Law Foundation board of directors, and is a member of the bar's Volunteer Lawyers Program. She is a 2008 graduate of the Leadership Alabama program and has served on a number of community and statewide service organizations.
